Much of the world’s freshwater flows underground in limestone labyrinths called karst systems. The Yucatan in Mexico boasts one of the world’s largest, most impressive karst systems yet its health is in jeopardy as coastal development skyrockets along the Riviera Maya. Rising populations combined with climate change are leading to worldwide water shortages as global precipitation patterns shift and frozen water reservoirs melt away.

Science and Technology for Sustainability Program. (2007). Sustainable management of Groundwater in Mexico: Proceedings of a Workshop (Series: Strengthening Science-Based Decision Making in Developing Countries. The National Academies Press.http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11875&page=52

Striped Bass

A strange, flesh-eating bacteria had been consuming the flesh of one of America’s prized sport fish—the striped bass. For more information see:

As more and more fertilizers stream off our lawns and agricultural lands, the more nitrogen makes it into our coastal waters. Such an oversupply of nutrients leads to algal blooms that suck oxygen out of the water. As these algae decay they create areas called dead zones. For more information on how too much of a good thing is affecting life in the ocean see:

Albatross forage far and wide to feed their chicks. In the Northern Hemisphere, one prime foraging location happens to coincide with the world’s largest dumping ground—the “Garbage Patch” in the north Pacific. For more information on how marine plastic debris affects albatross chicks and other seabirds, see:

The vast majority of the plastics that we have produced since the 1950s are all still around, and many have ended up in a great swirling patch of the Pacific Ocean known as the “Garbage Patch.” In some places, plastic outweighs the plankton. For more on our contributions to marine plastic debris see:

An increasing number of animals are being discovered with genetic and developmental maladies suggestive of impacts from synthetic chemicals known as endocrine disruptors. To find the latest scientific findings relating to the impact of endocrine disruptors like bisphenol A and other plastic derivatives on the developmental systems of animals, consult:

Climate change is affecting coral reefs and the ocean in a multitude of ways. Sea surface temperatures have risen 1˚ Celsius in many tropical areas over the past 100 years, and are currently increasing at 1 to 2˚ Celsius per century. Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is altering ocean chemistry, lowering the pH and potentially making it more difficult for some corals to secrete their calcium carbonate skeletons. Recent studies have shown that calcification rates can drop as much as 25 to 45 percent of normal rates by the end of this century if carbon emissions continue at present levels. For more information on how carbon dioxide is affecting the ocean, see: